I had a childhood condition of Epilepsy, but it was a type that 99.8% of all who have it outgrow. And I did. I haven’t had a seizure since I was 8 years old. But MEP's still disqualified me. Is there any way I can still get in? Or is there anything else I can do? I am 100% healthy. Thanks Brad.
I will have to ask my recruiter exactly why. He just told me that I had been denied. The thing that doesn’t add up to me is the situation in which I was denied. I submitted 23 pages of medical documentation of my childhood condition, but the last record was taken when I went off my medication when I was 13. So the first time I submitted my documents, my recruiter tells me that they need more current information. So I go to my doctor and get a current EEG and prognosis. His new up to date information (6 more pages) stated that my EEG looked totally normal and that 99.8% of all patients out-grow my condition. His diagnosis was very positive. So my question is why would they have me be retested if they were going to disqualify me for being diagnosed as totally healthy? It doesn’t add up. If they were going to disqualify me for my childhood condition, I would think they would have done it with the first 23 pages that said that I was abnormal. Not with my 6 pages that said I was totally normal. Could there have been just a stricter doctor that reviewed my case the second time?
So I talked to my recruiter again and he said the only reason that he gave was a sentence that said "past history". I asked him if there was a way that I could talk to the doctor that disqualified me and he said that there wasn’t. Is there really nothing that can be done?
Sorry to take so long to get back with you. Things have been crazy. I have overnight duty tomorrow. I will look through the books to give your the exact reason, per the manual, as to why you may have been turned down. Recruiters dont make quotas by turning people away.
This is per the medical manual- Epilepsy occurring beyond the 6th birthday, unless the applicant has been free of seizures for a period of five years while taking no medication of seizure, and has normal EEG is disqualifying. All such applicant shall have a current neurology consultation with current EEG results.
Thank you so much for taking the time to look that up for me. By the sound of that I was wrongfully disqualified. I haven’t had a seizure since I was 8 (I know "older than 6") and I haven’t taking any medication since I was thirteen. Which means that I have been medication free for 9 years. And per my recruiters/MEP's request I went and got a current EEG last month and it came out totally normal. Is there any way I can contest this? Or be reconsidered? The coast guard has been my dream since grade school.
I would go back and insist on the recruiter giving you an explanation. Or, if you want, I could contact him. Maybe there is another variable that I have not seen yet. The quote I gave you was straight out of Chapter 3 of the medical manual.
Maybe you can send me a private message with the recruiter's name and number and I can contact him?
Originally posted by Paulmedic: I would go back and insist on the recruiter giving you an explanation. Or, if you want, I could contact him. Maybe there is another variable that I have not seen yet. The quote I gave you was straight out of Chapter 3 of the medical manual.
Maybe you can send me a private message with the recruiter's name and number and I can contact him?
Paul
Hi, Bob, back from TDY...it was fun. RE daredevil: couldn't he have his family physician refer him to a neurologist, get a full neuro exam, maybe a referral letter from both childhood /diagnosing MD and the new neuro explaining that he is fully qualified be sufficient? A waiver stating that he she is free from any possible future epileptic episodes? Daredevil: It may cost you $ to get the proof (exams, referrals, etc.,), but if you are determined, do all you can to prove that you are 100% healthy. Good luck.
" Daredevil: It may cost you $ to get the proof (exams, referrals, etc.,), but if you are determined, do all you can to prove that you are 100% healthy. Good luck.[/QUOTE]
The MEP's guys already requested all that and so I did it all. (Current EEG, docs and neuro diagnosis/report) and it was all 100% positive. EEG was perfectly normal etc. I submitted it and it was after that that I was "permanently disqualified". So either they didn’t read my report, or they didn’t consult their manual and the procedures for childhood epilepsy.
Besides a Broken arm when I was 12 (normal hair line fracture, which I provided full docs on) that healed in a short time, the epilepsy is the only blemish on my medical history. So I can’t think of any other disqualifying factors.
I spoke with your recruiter yesterday. You omitted some very important variables.
1. I was under the impression that you were trying to enlist. You did not inform us that you were trying to get into OCS. Some physical requirements are more stringent for applicants of OCS than for people simply trying to enlist.
2. Your recruiter informed me that he did indeed counsel you on the situation.
As you know, your recruiter is a former Recruit Company Commander. Both recruiter and company commander jobs require a strong background in communication skills.
I believe that he did inform you of the reasons behind your disqualification, yet you were fishing for a different answer here. While I can understand and sympathize with your plight, I do not like being played. Especailly by someone who is trying to become an officer and potentially a future supervisor of mine.
Thank you so much for taking your time to contact my recruiter on my behalf. I’m very sorry if you feel like I "played" you. I was applying for a program called CSPI which is an enlisted to officer program in which I would be an enlisted man for my final 2 years of college and then have a guaranteed spot to ocs. I was unaware, being that I am not in the military that there were any different physical requirements for officers. Had I known this I assure you that I would have disclosed this information. I honestly have nothing to hide and nothing to gain form keeping out information, especially when you’re doing so much to help me. Although my recruiter was very nice, the only thing he told me regarding my disqualification was "past history". That is what he told me was on the doctors paper as the reasoning behind their decision, and it is what I told you on December 12th. So although I agree that my recruiter does have strong communication skills, "he didn’t know what else to tell me" because he didn’t know any better than I, what "past history" specifically meant. Which is the reason for my post on this site. It has been my dream to be in the coast guard and if I just had let that dream go with out specifically knowing why, I would have been able to live with it for the rest of my life always wondering "what if". I wasn’t trying to "fish for a different answer" I was just trying to clarify the one I already received, and trying to find out if there was ant type of appeal process, or a second opinion. Once again, I'm very sorry if you have felt as if I had purposely been misleading or manipulative. I am not that type of person, and I hope that this clears a few things up. Thanks again for all your help information and responses to my issue.
